11 Super-Smooth Blended Whiskeys

Collage by Matt Dimas

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How to describe blended whiskeys in one word? Consistent.

Sure, they can be other things, too. Smooth is frequently used to describe blends. So are flavorful, smoky, fruity and rich. But whatever adjective is applied to that bottle, you can count on the same description year after year. That consistency is deliberate—and it’s with good reason that whiskey-lovers call for their favorite blends by name.

People may know how to order their favorites, but there’s some confusion about how to spell them—whiskey vs. whisky. A good way to remember: Countries with “e” in their name—like the United States and Ireland—spell it whiskey/whiskeys. Countries without the “e” (including Scotland, Canada and Japan) use whisky/whiskies.

When it comes to making whisk(e)y, distillation is a science—the calculation of the mash bill, the fermentation that converts sugars to alcohol, the shiny stills that create and condense vapors into white dog. But blending is an art: Master blenders can mix any number of different whiskeys into the house recipe, tweaking it batch after batch in the name of uniformity.

No wonder Dr. Nick Morgan, head of whisky outreach for Diageo, declares that “blending is the most special skill.” The company’s portfolio includes a wide range of storied, big-personality single malts such as Lagavulin, Talisker and Oban, but it’s perhaps best known for its more accessible blended Scotch—namely, Johnnie Walker.

Yet, Dr. Morgan laments, “No one wants to talk about blends because they’re boring.” Consistent? Yes. But blends surely don’t have to be boring.

Of course, Scotch isn’t the only blended whiskey out there—and “consistent” doesn’t mean homogeneous. Indeed, the provenance of blendeds is quite diverse. Among American whiskeys, we love to sing the praises of our favorite single-barrel bottlings, but a great many Bourbons and more are made by blending the liquid from those barrels together. See, too, the blended beauties hailing from Canada, Ireland and Japan—even a French whisky is included in this month’s crop of reviews.